Central Visayas

Region VII Central Visayas
Region
{{safesubst:#property:P242}} Location in the Philippines
Country	Philippines
Island group	Visayas
Regional center	Cebu City
Area
• Total	10,500.44 km2 (4,054.24 sq mi)
Population ( )
• Total	{{safesubst:#property:P1,082}}
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ISO 3166 code	{{#property:P300}}
Provinces	3
Cities	10
Municipalities	97
Barangays	2,446
Cong. districts	14
Languages	Cebuano (Boholano dialect) Porohanon Filipino English

Central Visayas (Filipino: Gitnang Kabisayaan; Cebuano: Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an) is a region of the Philippines, designated as Region VII. It is located in the central part of the Visayas island group, and comprises three provinces: Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor; and three highly urbanized cities: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue. Cebu City is the regional center. The region is dominated by the native speakers of Cebuano. The land area of the region is 10,102 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi), with a population of {{safesubst:#property:P1082}} people.

In 2015, the region was redefined, when Region VII lost the province of Negros Oriental to the newly formed Negros Island Region.

History

Regions first came to existence in on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the Philippines were organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.

By virtue of Executive Order No. 183 issued on May 29, 2015 by President Benigno Aquino III, the province of Negros Oriental was transferred to the Negros Island Region.

Demographics

Population census of Central Visayas
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	4,594,124	—
2000	5,706,953	+2.19%
2010	6,800,180	+1.77%
Data prior to 2015 includes Negros Oriental. Source: National Statistics Office

In the 2013 election, it had {{safesubst:#property:P1,831}} registered voters, meaning that % of the population are aged 18 and over.

According to the , it had a population of {{safesubst:#property:P1082}}. The population density was %s. The 2015 census showed an average annual population growth rate of 1.76% from 2010 to 2015, slightly higher than the national average of 1.72%.

Cebuano is the dominant language of the region. In the Camotes Islands, Cebuano language is spoken in the towns of Tudela, Pilar and San Francisco, except Poro, where a mixture of Cebuano, Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) and Masbateño is spoken, a language called Porohanon.

Administrative divisions

The Central Visayas region comprises 3 provinces and 3 independent cities:

Political map of Central Visayas (note: Negros Oriental is no longer part of this region.)

Province or HUC		Capital	Population (2015)		Area		Density		Cities	Muni.	Brgy.
					km2	sq mi	/km2	/sq mi
Bohol		Tagbilaran	21.7%	1,313,560	4,820.95	1,861.38	270	700	1	47	1,109
Cebu		Cebu	48.6%	2,938,982	4,943.72	1,908.78	590	1,500	6	44	1,066
Siquijor		Siquijor	1.6%	95,984	337.49	130.31	280	730	0	6	134
Cebu City	†	—	15.3%	922,611	315.00	121.62	2,900	7,500	—	—	80
Lapu-Lapu	†	—	6.8%	408,112	58.10	22.43	7,000	18,000	—	—	30
Mandaue	†	—	6.0%	362,654	25.18	9.72	14,400	37,000	—	—	27
Total				6,041,903	10,500.44	4,953.29	580	1,500	10	97	2,446
†  Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are highly urbanized cities, figures are excluded from Cebu province.

Negros Oriental was formerly a part of Region VII. President Benigno Aquino III signed the Executive Order No.183, creating the Negros Island Region.

City	Population (2015)	Area		Density		Income class	Province
		km2	sq mi	/km2	/sq mi
Bogo	78,120	103.52	39.97	750	1,900	6th	Cebu
Carcar	119,664	116.78	45.09	1,000	2,600	5th	Cebu
Danao	136,471	107.30	41.43	1,300	3,400	3rd	Cebu
Naga	115,750	101.97	39.37	1,100	2,800	3rd	Cebu
Tagbilaran	105,051	36.50	14.09	2,900	7,500	3rd	Bohol
Talisay	227,645	39.87	15.39	5,900	15,000	3rd	Cebu
Toledo	170,335	216.28	83.51	790	2,000	3rd	Cebu

Media

Cebu City is the main media hub for both the region. Large media networks – ABS-CBN, GMA Network, TV5, People's Television Network and CNN Philippines – maintain their respective local stations and branches for viewership, commercial and news coverage purposes. Most of these stations broadcast local news and public affairs as well as entertainment and dramas to cater the local viewers.

Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Cebu City also has 20 local newspapers. Among the widely read are the Sun Star Cebu. The country's main Islamic news journal, The Voice of Islam, was founded in 1961 and published in this city.

Points of interest

Photo	Name
	Magellan's Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese, and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines.
	Bohol Blood Compact Statue is the statue portraying the blood compact between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna.
	Lazi Convent is a convent built in Lazi, Siquijor

Transportation

By sea

Fastcraft terminal for ferrying passengers from Cebu to Negros.

The Port of Cebu is the region's main gateway. There are also ports in Tagbilaran in Bohol and Larena in Siquijor. Inter-island shipping is served by numerous shipping lines, two of them fastcraft companies which serve all the provinces in the region.

By air

Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Lapu-Lapu City, is the country's second busiest airport (after Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila) and the only airport in the Visayas serving international flights (aside from Kalibo International Airport). It is the primary airline hub of Cebu Pacific, and secondary hub for Philippine Airlines and its subsidiaries, with flights to locations throughout the country. It also serves international flights to other Asian and intercontinental destinations.

Other airports in the region are Tagbilaran Airport, serves Tagbilaran and Bohol with flights to Manila.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Central Visayas travel guide from Wikivoyage

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